Anima: The Card Game

Anima: The Card Game is a card game for 2-5 players set in the same original setting as the Anima: Beyond Fantasy roleplaying game. In the core set, Anima: The Shadow of Omega, players form a party of four adventurers that explore the land and engage in combat with fantastic beasts... and each other, gaining new powers and eventually confronting a final epic challenge. An ancient evil called Omega threatens to break free from its mystical chains and unleash chaos upon the world, but who can stop it?

To start the game, each player begins with one random character drawn from the character deck, such as the Paladin, the Wizard, or the Warrior Mentalist. As the game progresses, each player will be able to recruit additional characters. Every character has a Combat value and a Speed value, which contribute to his or her ability to win battles and succeed at various tasks. They also possess up to three skills (Trickery, Magic, and Ki) and may have a special ability. For example, the Paladin has a 3 Combat value, a 2 Speed value, is female, and can use Ki abilities. She also receives a +4 to Combat when battling creatures of Darkness.

Each player begins the game with two secret missions, the quests that his or her party has undertaken. Once one of those missions is completed, the player will have discovered enough of the dark events in the background to reveal the Final Mission. Mission Cards are each unique; they have a story and detailed instructions for how to complete it, and a reward for its completion. Some will require you to travel to a dangerous location and defeat a unique monster, others will be as complex as a daring rescue mission or a bit of larceny of potent magical artifacts…

The action of Anima: Shadow of Omega revolves around Areas in the world of Gaïa, and each Area has its own possible encounters and rewards, and many are tied to specific missions. The Areas of Anima range from the safe and serene (such as the Village of Cornes) to the incredibly dangerous (such as the Tower at the End). Before they explore an Area, of course, characters must first survive Encounters, which represent the varied things that can happen to heroic adventuring parties as they go about their business. Some are benign, such as encountering new allies in the wilderness or finding a cache of treasure, while others represent misfortune and hostile creatures, which have a combat level and some special abilities. When such a creature is encountered, it's time to do battle!

Combat in Anima: Shadow of Omega is streamlined and fast-paced. A single six-sided die is rolled, and the combat value of the entire party is added to the result. Meanwhile, a rival player rolls for the creature being battled, and adds its combat level. The high roller is the winner, and if the party loses by five or more, one of their members is slain and must be discarded. Undefeated creatures remain on their Areas and must be defeated before the Area can be explored.

Players may affect the outcome of a battle through the Advantage cards, which are either Plot cards or Skill cards. Plot cards have special rules that detail their effects and method of play right on the card; they might represent blossoming romance, a twist of good fortune, or joining a secretive organization.â€¨ â€¨Skill cards are either Trickery, Magic, or Ki skills and their use keys off of the characters in your party. To use a Skill, you must spin (exhaust) a character with a matching skill icon, so a breadth of skills in your party can be very useful! Skills often affect combat, but they can also be used to trick or hinder your opponent, or perhaps to avoid a fight altogether.

Eventually, the players will be strong enough to attempt the Final Mission; the first player to complete the Final Mission and save the world from the menace of Omega is the winner!

The revised edition of Anima: Shadow of Omega has been overhauled to create a more enjoyable and dynamic game experience than previous editions. Revisions include brighter art, enhanced graphics, more durable cards, and an updated rules set that incorporates errata. This edition also introduces the all-new “Crisis!” end-game design which creates exciting showdowns and dramatic finishes for every game.

Anima: Beyond Good and Evil continues the epic story. Omega has been vanquished, but the denizens of Gaïa are not yet safe... A darker and more powerful evil than anything humanity could have imagined plots its destruction! This time, heroes and villains, former adversaries, must unite against a common foe. Best of all, cards from the revised edition of Shadow of Omega can be added to Beyond Good and Evil to create an even more epic gaming experience!